Tennis-court-marking-tape outfit.



W. H. HOLCOMB.

TENNIS COURT MARKING TAPE OUTFIT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 21- 1914.

Patented June 8, 1915.

THE NORRIS FETbK: MU. rHu'm-LlTHa. WASHINGTON, D. c.

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WILLIAM H. HOLGOMB, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TENNIS-COURT-MARKING-TAPE OUTFIT.

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To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. I-IoLcoMB, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tennis- Court-lVIarking-Tape Outfits, of which the following is a specification.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved device in the form of a kit including a box having a compartment arranged for conveniently storing coiled tennis-court marking tapes, and the tools for handling and fastening them and having a reel arranged in one end thereof by means of which the tapes are coiled up; to provide an improved arrangement of such reel whereby the crank may be quickly and conveniently withdrawn from the supporting bearings so as to release the coil of tape; and to provide a device of this kind which is compact in form and simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

An illustrative embodiment of this inven-. tion is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved device, one corner thereof being partly broken away to more clearly indicate the construction of interior parts. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device showing the arrangement of the coils of tape and other parts of the kit therein. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the crank.

The construction shown in the drawings, comprises a box or receptacle 1 having a hinged cover 2. A partition 4 is arranged in the receptacle 1 so as to provide a reeling space 5, the partition and adjacent end of the receptacle acting as guide members for the reel. The remainder of the receptacle constitutes a storage compartment 6 for the coils of tape. Metal bearings 7 and 8 are set in the partition 4. and the adjacent end of the receptacle, in which the shaft 9 of the crank is journaled.

The crank 10 is substantially the same as that shown in my copending application Serial No. 878,460, filed December 21, 1914, preferably a rod bent to the usual form, to provide a shaft 9 and a handle 9. The shaft 9 has a slot 10 extending inwardly from the end thereof. A collar 11 is secured to the shaft 9 so as to locate the crank in the proper Specification of Letters Patent.

position'in the bearings 7 and 8 and space the handle 9 clear of the end of the recep- Patented June 8, 1915. Application filed December 21, 1914. Serial No. 878,459.

toward the coil. An escutcheon plate 13 protects the sides of the slot against excessive wear.

Snap locks 14 are provided for securing the cover in its closed position.

The device herein shown is used in the following manner: The end of a tape is passed through the slot 12 and inserted into the slot 10 in the shaft 9. The crank is given a turn so as to fold the end back upon itself, whereby it is held by friction due to the tension on the tape, and as the turning of the crank is continued the tape will be drawn in and coiled up. In order to facilitate the insertion of the end of the tape into the slot 10, the partition 4: is cut away at 15. When a strip of tape has been entirely coiled up, the crank shaft 9 is withdrawn in an axial direction, whereupon the coil is released so that it may be removed from the reel and placed in the storage compartment 6. One after another the tapes are wound up and arranged in the storage compartment after which the crank is removed and also placed in the receptacle. A convenient arrangement of the coils of tape is shown in Fig. 2, .the coil in the bottom and the three coils in the front right-hand corner being the four long strips. The shorter coils are arranged in the remaining space as indicated. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, the receptacle provides a convenient storage space for the tape stapling device 15 described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 871,702 filed November 12, 1914.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that some details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a storage receptacle for coiled tapes, having a partition located therein and coacting With an adjacent wall to form guide members, bearings in said par tition and Wall, and a crank having the shaft thereof removably journaled in said bearings and arranged to secure a tape thereto, said shaft being adapted to be readily Withdrawn axially from said bearings so as to release said coil of tape. V s

, 2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a storage receptacle for coiled tapes, having a partition located therein and coacting With an adjacent Wall to form guide members, bearings in said partition and Wall, and a crank having the shaft thereof removably journaled in said bearings and arranged to secure a tape thereto, said shaft being adapted to be readily Withdrawn axially from said bearings so as to release said coil of tape, said receptacle being provided With a slot in one side thereof leading to the space between said partition I Copies of this patent may be obtained for tially equal to the Width of the tape, and a crank having its shaft removably journaled in said Wall and support, said shaft being arranged to engage and secure a tape thereto for the purpose of coiling it and being adapted to be Withdrawn axially for releas-- ing the coil of tape Without unwinding it.

Signed at Chicago this 19th day of December 1914. 1

WM. H. HOLGOMB,

Witnesses EUGENE A. RUMMLER, M. IRENE HUToHINos.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington. D. 0.

"and spaced therefrom a distance substan- 

